Alan Boyle: X Prize countdown to begin

The X Prize Foundation is planning an announcement on July 27 that is likely to start a 60-day countdown for seeking the $10 million spaceflight prize.

The media advisory, distributed today, notes that SpaceShipOne team leader Burt Rutan and da Vinci Project leader Brian Feeney will be among those present for next week’s announcement in Santa Monica, Calif. Both those teams have hinted at plans for suborbital space launches in late September, aimed at winning the Ansari X Prize.

The $10 million would go to the first privately funded team to launch a vehicle to an altitude of at least 100 kilometers (62 miles) twice in the space of two weeks, carrying a pilot and two passengers (or about 400 pounds of ballast representing the weight of those passengers). Read More

A media alert was issued today by the X Prize Foundation of St. Louis, Missouri noting that “several key announcements” are to be made July 27.

The press statement is fueling speculation that the press event is likely to detail actual flight dates for back-to-back shots at winning the Ansari X Prize purse. Teams are to give the X Prize Foundation 60-days notice before attempts to win the prize. Read More